Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. We hope that you had a joyous and wonderful day with your families.

Two Months!

So Mommy is a little late with this post, but what's new??? Gabby, you are two months old! You weigh 10lbs. 15 oz. and are 22 inches long. You just started wearing 3 month size clothing and in fact still fit into a couple of your newborn things until last week. You are, for the most part, a serious baby, always observing your surroundings. You are very curious and stare intently on many things. You also smile a lot, which makes our hearts melt! You are trying to laugh and are also trying to reach for things around you, but have yet to realize that if you open your clenched fist you could grab an object. One of my favorite things is how vocal you have become. We hold many conversations these days and you also talk to the toys around you!

You are growing very quickly and are about to celebrate your first Christmas! Daddy and I are excited to begin our own family traditions with you. We aren't quite sure what the traditions will be - maybe driving around on Christmas Eve to look at Christmas lights. That might be a great place to start! Every day we have with you is a blessing and we love you very much!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Oh How Times Have Changed

This evening I have dealt with a crabby baby, poopy diapers, spit up and Sam spit up. All of this after a very long drive home in a monsoon. What more can a girl ask for?????? While I love both Gabby and Sam, I could use a break from their excretions, haha!

P.S. - Gabby is 8 weeks 1 day today.

A Few Pictures

Thoughts

Dear Gabby,

Your seven weeks of life have been probably the best seven weeks of mine. There are no words for the way you have blessed my life. We have had a few rough moments in our short time together, but I cherish the bad moments as much as I do the good. Going back to work has been extremely difficult for me. I miss spending every moment with you. You are beginning to smile more frequently and when you do, it melts my heart. I look forward to seeing you each morning and evening hoping to catch a glimpse of your beautiful smile.

Things I want to always remember about this time of your life is the way your head fits perfectly into my neck when you are sleepy, the sound of you breathing, the smell of milk on your breath, the sounds you make while you sleep, and the way you look for me when you hear my voice. I have many favorite moments of our day, but my most favorite has become rocking with you in the evening. I can rock and stare at you for as long as I wish, and sometimes you stare back at me. Other times you are peacefully sleeping, but we are quiet together, just you and me.

You are my little peanut, my angel, our little princess.

Love,
Mommy

One Month

Has it really been one month (and a few days)?!?!?! It has been a wonderful month. Gabby is truly a blessing. She had her one month appointment on Thursday and she is up to 8lbs. 10oz. and is now 21 inches long! She is growing like a weed. She also sleeps like a champ. She will go down around 11:00pm, get up between 4:00 and 5:00am and then sleep til about 8:30am. We can handle that! She isn't much for naps, so sometimes our days get a little rough if she has a day where she only cat naps. Gabby loves to take a bath and is really an all around great baby. We are spoiled!

Daddy has gone back to work and we have been on our own for a week now. It has been tough, but we have made it to the halfway point! We miss Daddy very much and can't wait for him to come home! 

Enjoy the pictures. Two are from her newborn pictures at 11 days and the others are from this week.

Gabby's first Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Week 2

It makes me sad to say that Gabby is 2 weeks old today! I know that it is great that she is growing and thriving, but I also feel like time is going too quickly. In week 2, Gabby has slept through the night a couple of times already. Most of the time she only gets up once to feed and goes back to sleep fairly quickly. She sleeps most of the day still, but we are beginning to see more of her eyes. The highlights of the week was her first picnic and our first and second trips to a restaurant. She was such a great baby on all of our outings!

Gabby's newborn pictures were taken last Friday and they are beautiful! I can't wait to share them with everyone. Amazingly enough, she was wide awake during the pictures so we have many with her eyes open!

Gabby has her first out of town visitors, Grandma Mary and Aunt Tracy. Uncle Steve is in town as well, but we haven't seen too much of him since it was homecoming weekend at MTSU! (FYI - the Blue Raiders blew out Western Kentucky this weekend!) She also went to her first party! Our friends Jimmy and Erin are expecting Hudson in January and their shower was this weekend. Gabby had a blast!

One Week Old

The week has flown by, but happy one week birthday to Gabby! We are still in awe of her and still amazed that she is here. Her first week of life has been exciting for her. We have taken a few car rides to get out of the house, she has been visited by friends and today we will go to the pediatrician. She also has been a great eater and a pretty good sleeper. Our nights haven't been too bad...in fact we had our first "sleep through the night" (at least to us) night last night. She was fussy fron midnight til 2:00am and then she slept til 8:00am this morning. Mommy and Daddy appreciated that for sure!

We are so fortunate to have her! She is a true blessing to us and we can't believe how much love we have for her!

I'm not sure why the one picture won't turn the right way, sorry, but it is her one week photo!

Day One

Our first 24 hours were pretty good. Gabby does have her nights and days confused for sure as she had us up from 1:45am til 4:30am screaming. We fed for most of that time just to soothe her, but we could only do so much. I was totally exhausted and we both needed to get some sleep, so we sent her off to the nursery so we could all get some rest. Today she has slept all day. We are looking forward to going home tomorrow. Let's hope we get rest tonight, otherwise she will be headed back to the nursery!

She is here!

Gabriella Elizabeth arrived at 11:45am this morning. I didn't really have an opportunity to update because things progressed so quickly. At 9:00am the doctor came in and broke my water, I was 3 cm dilated, 9:30am I had my epidural and by 10:00am I was 8 cm dilated. At 10:25am I was a full 10 cm and we decided to wait to push for a little while. At 11:00am I began pushing and 45 minutes later she was here! She weighs 6lbs. 14oz. and is 19.75 inches long. Not that we are partial or anything, but we think she is BEAUTIFUL. She has a head full of blonde hair too, which is super cute! We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers and can't believe what a wonderful day it has been.

All hooked up

Well, we have been at the hospital for 2 hours now and things are going well. I was having regular mild contractions when we got here and now they are more frequent and more uncomfortable. We expect to see the doctor during this hour so he can break my water and get things progressing even more. I will probably be opting for an epidural in the next few hours...the debate is whether to do it before the 2 c-sections that are scheduled or wait until after...

The most unfortunate thing about this morning is that it is a miserable day outside. It is cloudy, rainy and cool. A good day to be indoors, but wishing it was bright and sunny!

Monday is the Day

We had a great visit to the doctor yesterday; everything is going well. Brian asked the doctor if there was anything we can do to speed up the process of getting the baby here. The doctor replied, well we can do it tomorrow or Monday if you would like. You could imagine the look on our faces when discussing the thought of tomorrow, which would have been today! Deer in headlights for sure! We decided that tomorrow was too quick and opted for Monday if Gabriella doesn't come on her own. Sunday night the hospital will call us to let us know what time to be there the following morning. It will probably be some ungodly hour like 5:00am so they can get me hooked up to drugs and get things rolling. The doctor will come in between 7:00-8:00am to check me and he anticipates that if all goes well we will have a baby by around 4:00 that afternoon.

From the getgo I was anti-induction. After hearing some horror stories and knowing the fact that 40% of inductions end up in c-sections you really think twice. But, after talking with the doctor and trusting his judgment, he said he would make me go overdue if he felt my body and the baby weren't ready. Since I am already dilating and thinned, I have "favorable conditions" for a positive induction. Wish us luck on Monday!

Eviction Notice

Dear Gabriella,

While I am sure you are warm and cozy, your Daddy has come home and Mommy is getting very uncomfortable. I am asking kindly that you vacate your current residence in a timely manner so we are able to meet you, love you, and adore you. Daddy would like to spend as much time with you before he has to return to the job that helps put food in your tummy and I would like to have Daddy home to help for as much time as possible. Knowing that you come from a family of stubborn people, we know that you will vacate in your own time, but if you could do this sooner that later it would be much appreciated.

Love,
Mommy (38 weeks and a few days pregnant)

36 Weeks

We have had a busy few days! I was blessed to have another shower thrown for Gabby and me this weekend by my good friends Jennifer and Jeannie. They did a beautiful job! I was fortunate to have all of my aunts and one of my grandmothers to fly in to spend the weekend with me celebrating. Also, Katie and Avery came for the weekend! It was wonderful having everyone here and excited to welcome Gabby. We received so many wonderful gifts and spent the afternoon with my family and closest friends (pictures to be posted as soon as I receive them).

Brian's best friend came down for the weekend to visit as well. It worked out really well considering the amount of women that were around for the weekend! I know they had a great time hanging out too.

We went to my weekly doctor appointment yesterday. A little earlier than one full week due to the fact that my belly did not measure properly last Thursday. We had an ultrasound to check everything out and Gabby is petite, but perfect. Good news for sure! They guesstimate her weight at around 5 1/2 lbs and she has a head full of hair (which is no surprise considering Brian and I were both born with heads full of hair). We couldn't see her face as she is already in position for delivery. The doctor then checked me and I am already almost 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced which was a big shock! Of course, we don't know what will happen from here on out; I could stay that way for weeks or I could progress some more. Either way, Gabby needs to stay put until Brian gets back at the end of the month!

35/35

35/35 is one of those unnecessary "milestones" in pregnancy. I consider more of an interesting fact than anything, but what it means is that I am 35 weeks pregnant with 35 days to go. Did you catch that! THIRTY-FIVE DAYS PEOPLE! That is nothing. It also means she could come before then, but her daddy has already had a talk with her telling her she can only come after the first of October due to his schedule. But, then again, it also means she can come later than 35 days, with which I have told her is unacceptable.

Monday was my birthday and we had a nice relaxing day. We had gone out on the boat on Sunday and got rained on unfortunately, so decided to not go out on Monday since the forcast was calling for more of the same. We have just been enjoying spending time together before Brian has to go back to work. Neither one of us are looking forward to that since he has been home for 2 months. It has been nice to have him home for a long period of time, I could get used to that!

Next Month

Here are a couple of pictures for you...the cakes from my shower and Brian and myself (31 wks pregnant) at the Cubs game a couple of weeks ago.

September is here and that means two things. One being, it's my birthday month and two, when someone asks when I'm due, I can say next month! That is a scary statement, but I am so glad the end is in sight.

I am getting more uncomfortable as each day comes, which means less sleep since I am up multiple times each night, my back is sore, my hips are sore, etc. With all of that said, I still have quite a few weeks for things to progressively get more uncomfortable! But, like I said, I'm due next month! That sounds nice!

Bye Bye Ankles, Hello Cankles

Help! The summer heat has finally gotten to me. Made it almost 32 weeks without any swelling and all of the sudden, my left ankle has gone missing. My right foot isn't looking so bad. Anyone looking at it wouldn't notice the swelling in that foot like I do. My hands are holding out, but I don't think for long. My wedding band still fits, but my engagement ring, which is a little smaller, gets tight by the end of the day. I'll keep drinking lots of water like I always do and hope for the best, but with my flip flops getting tight, it isn't looking pretty!

I should also note that today is my parent's 30th wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Baby Shower & Cubs Game

This past weekend we went to Chicago to visit Brian's family, go to a few Cubs games and have our first baby shower. Tracy threw Gabby a beautiful shower where friends and family were so generous. She made and decorated two adorable cakes (I'll have to remember to post pictures) and had wonderful food. Brian drove home on Monday with quite the load of baby items that are currently residing in our living room! I started doing Gabby's laundry last night from the many items that were given to us and will hopefully start putting things away soon. Thank you Tracy for the awesome shower!

We also went to two Cubs games during our time in Chicago. I was planning on only going to one game because we had grandstand tickets one day and bleacher tickets the other and I did not want to sit in the bleachers in the hot sun at 31 weeks pregnant! Brian had made plans with his friends to sit in the bleachers thinking we had those seats on Friday. Someone forgot to check the actual tickets! The bleacher seat tickets were for Thursday. So, off we went on Thursday and we sat in the bleachers. I want it noted that I did not complain once and that I made it until the start of the 9th inning. The Cubs were losing so bad, there was no point in staying unfortunately. Friday was a much better day since our seats were in the grandstand in the shade. Plus, the Thunderbirds provided us and awesome show during their practice for the air and water show!

Brian and I had a wonderful weekend with friends and family. I'm sad, yet excited to say that this was my last trip before Gabby arrives. Scary to think she is that close to coming!

We're on a Roll

Preparations are in full swing these days around our house. The big one is, the baby finally has a name! We have decided on Gabriella Elizabeth, and we will call her Gabby. I am so excited to finally have an official name for her!

Brian has been busy this week working on a closet organization system. He has yet to decide whether to build one, or shell out the dough for a fancy one, but in the end I know it will be wonderful! I think he will end up building it for the cost savings and it will probably look better than the expensive systems that are on the market! I'm looking forward to getting the closet done so I can wash some of Gabby's clothes and start putting things away.

Last night we spent an hour at the paint counter in Home Depot. Our paint consultant was awesome! He had a lot of patience with us as we made 2 custom colors for Gabby's room. One came out just right, as it was color matched from the Restoration Hardware paint. The other we wanted to be a few shades lighter and we had to work toward getting there. Four tries later, we had the color we were looking for.

Things are starting to come together and it is exciting to see them all happen! We are having a lot of fun preparing for Gabby! I am off to the doctor this afternoon for my 30 week check up. I am going every 2 weeks until 34/35 weeks and then weekly. We also have a consult with a pediatrician this afternoon, so a busy day ahead!

We Have Bedding!

I am so excited to finally say those words. It took forever to decide on something. Or should I say, for ME to decide on something. I think Brian was ready to shoot me because I have been so wishy-washy! Haha! But here it is:
http://www.rhbabyandchild.com/rhbc/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=rhbc_prod105135&navAction=jump&link=link=ct_cuddle_plush_bumper_and_italian_contrast_dot_sheeting_crib_bedding_collections&cm_re=CT-_-CategoryText-_-CuddlePlushBumperAndItalianContrastDotSheetingCribBeddingCollections. It is so soft and comfy and I think it will be great for the nursery. I really did not want a pink nursery, but I cannot be more pleased with the bedding. Now the work must begin on painting and getting the crib put together. And I need to find decor and accessories to put in her room; that is if I can ever decide on anything!

In other happenings, we just returned from a wonderful week long vacation to Anna Maria Island, FL. We spent the week with my family, my aunt & uncle and cousins, plus a few of my cousin Rachel's friends. Brian and my brother, Steve, played a few rounds of golf along with my cousin Andrew, we went to a Yankees v. Rays game, and other than that we spent a lot of time on the beach and in the pool. Everyone had a great time and no one is looking forward to being back to reality!

Night and Day

Will someone PLEASE tell my child that she must sleep at night and she can be up all day if she chooses?!?!? Unfortunately she isn't listening to me these days. She needs to learn that Mommy needs her rest now before she gets here, otherwise we are going to be a trainwreck from day one, haha. It seems every night when I lay down, peanut feels the need to throw a dance party. Last night she danced for almost 2 hours with very few breaks! Might I also add that she barely moved throughout the day yesterday. Such is life for me these days...I just hope she learns her nights and days before she enters the world! Knowing my luck, that isn't going to be the case.

24 weeks

We have been pretty busy these last few weeks. Tom, Tracy and the kids stopped by for a weekend visit 2 weeks ago. We had a great time out on the lake with them. It was a quick visit on their way to SC to visit Tracy's family, but it was great to have them. Last weekend, Brian and I went out to CO to visit Jim and Christy. It was my first trip to CO and I have to say, the mountains are magical! We spent 2 days in the mountains, and then Christy and I had a wonderful time shopping around Boulder on Saturday while the guys golfed. We enjoyed our trip, the time spent with Jim and Christy and we look forward to going back to the mountains again.

We have quite a bit of travel coming up in the next 6 weeks or so. July is always a busy month because of the 4th of July and my Summer Meeting for work. After that we are headed to Florida for a week long vacation and then in August we are headed to Chicago. Just thinking about it wears me out...

On Monday I had my 24 week appointment at the doctor. Everything was healthy - peanut's heartrate is at 150/bpm and she is very active. It is fun to feel her move all the time. I also had my gestational diabetes test. That is one yucky drink - tastes like flat orange soda, a little thicker consistency than soda, and is 100% sugar. Needless to say I had a sugar high and then crashed! Fortunately, I don't have GD nor do I have anemia, so all is well!

Have a great 4th of July!

It's a Girl!

Our little peanut is a little girl! I will post pictures of her as soon as I scan them, but we are 100% sure it is now a she. Brian and I are very excited for our little girl. He is a little worried though considering the already talked about girls weekends with Katie and Avery, haha. We had good news at the doctor...everything about her is healthy and she is growing in every way. It is hard to believe we have reached the halfway point of the pregnancy and in a mere 20 more weeks or so, we will get to meet our little girl!

Things no one tells you...

Unfortunately I think I could read every pregnancy book known to man and there are still certain things that no one will tell you. One of them is that a pregnant lady should use SPF 100 sunscreen because their skin is more apt to burn while pregnant. While this should be an easy chapter in a book, it seems that no one has written this chapter. I say all of this to now say - I AM FRIED LIKE A PIECE OF BACON! And it hurts! All from a couple of hours on the boat yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, I will be purchasing high strength sunscreen to use for the rest of the summer. As for the next few days, I will be bathing in aloe vera gel.

My Best Friend

I had a wonderful trip to Houston to visit my best friend Katie and her new baby, Avery, while Ryan was away on a business trip. We were able to get out of the house each day with a content baby in tow and I was able to give mommy some much needed rest by helping with night feedings, bath time, diaper changes and anything else she needed done. Plus, we squeezed in time for a little pampering for mommy! I am so proud of Katie and Ryan - not only is Avery a beautiful baby; she has a great set of parents who are doing a wonderful job! We had a wonderful visit, I got some much needed mommy practice, and I hated to come home. It is always so hard to leave Katie and come home, even though I know I will see her in a couple of months. Great friends are hard to find and Katie truly is the greatest friend I could ever ask for.

1 Year Ago

One year ago we were in full prep for the wedding. I remember being completely stressed and worrying about all the little details (because the details are what matter!) and enjoying having our friends and family in town to celebrate with us. We enjoyed having everyone in the same place at the same time to celebrate together. I can't believe that it was a year ago this weekend that Brian and I were married. May 17th was one of the best days of my life. The year has gone by so quickly. Before we know it, it will be October and the baby will be here. It is true what they say, time flies when you are having fun!

At this point we don't have any big plans for our anniversary. Brian will be in training and I am going to Houston to visit Katie and baby Avery for a few days (can't wait!). So we will save our celebration until next week when we are home together.

16 Week Appointment

I can't believe I had my 16 week appointment yesterday, but then again, it doesn't feel like it should be May yet. We are still healthy and progressing nicely. What I am SO excited about our 20 week appointment on May 28th - we will find out if our little peanut is a boy or a girl. Any guesses yet????
It has been fairly busy around here. Brian was home until last Sunday, so all day Saturday we worked in the yard and planting new shrubs and flowers. Since we moved in our home in Feb. of 2008, we have redone the entire landscape of our home out front and man, it has been a lot of work for two people who have yet to earn their green thumbs!
Other than that, Mr. Sam and I have been holding down the fort again, trying to take walks as often as possible since the weather has been so nice and I am feeling better! Funny little story about my doctor's visit; he asked how I was feeling and I said much better. I'm only getting sick in the mornings now and I'm not needing to take my medication because the rest of the day is going well. He said, well that sounds pretty miserable still and I commented that it is actually a blessing to just get sick in the morning! He told me I am the first patient to ever be happy about being sick in the morning in all the years he has been practicing, haha. I guess I'm just an optimist these days!

Stomach Bug

I just can't catch a break these days, haha! I had a stomach bug beginning Sunday evening and all through the day yesterday. At about 8:30 last night, Brian and I decided it was time to get a hold of the doctor or go to the ER because of fear of dehydration. Luckily the doctor called me right back and we discussed the options. He suggested we try a different prescription first and see if that helps with calming the sickness so I can get fluids in me. The other option was go to the ER and get hooked up to an IV for fluids. Luckily, the new medication worked and we didn't have to make a special trip to the hospital. I am feeling better today; exhausted and sore from being sick, but I am getting fluids in and have been able to eat a little. Maybe all of the stomach stuff will end soon, fingers crossed.

Status Quo

Well, not too much going on around here, basically same 'ol, same 'ol. The most exciting news is that my best friend, Katie and her husband, Ryan, welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Avery Katherine, into the world at 1:04am this morning. I am so proud and happy for them! I'm looking forward to my trip down to Houston to visit them next month.

Brian is back at work this week, so Sam and I have been holding down the fort. Unfortunately I had a problem refilling my anti-nausea medication this week and had to wait until this morning to pick it up. Insurance will only pay for 30 pills in a 26 day time period, but yet I can take 2 pills a day...the math doesn't work well on that does it?!?! Anyway, it made for an ugly few days and one night spent on the floor of my bathroom. Needless to say I did my happy dance at the pharmacy this morning and am feeling much better, thank goodness.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

We think it's cute...

But we are somewhat partial! Here it is, finally, the baby's first picture. This was at last week's appointment. I went back to the doctor yesterday and had a lot of blood taken for blood work and also got to hear the heartbeat again. I am so amazed everytime I hear it. I don't think I will ever tire from hearing that sound. It is amazing to know there is a little one in there thriving and growing!

Baby's First Picture

We went to the doctor this morning for our first ultrasound and the baby was on full display! He/she was super active, dancing around and waving its arms and legs. Oh and one more surprise...according to the doctor and his calculations we should be 9w 6 days today, well, we are acutally measuring ahead at 11w 1 day. Kind of a blessing in disguise for me as that means morning sickness is that much closer to being over with!!! Other than that, both baby and I are healthy and doing well. I go back next week for another appointment and I think to have some blood work done. I will try to post this morning's ultrasound pictures soon.

Surprise!

Surprise! We are pregnant! Okay, I will give you a minute to get over your shock...it took us a minute, or five. At this point, I am a little over 9 weeks and completely jealous of any person who says they LOVE being pregnant! I have been miserable with 24 hour a day sickness and exhaustion. My doctor was wonderful and gave me a prescription for Zofran and Phenegram which have taken the edge off. It's nice to not have my head in the toilet all day!

We go to the doctor for my first 'real' exam this Wednesday. I can't wait to see the little one and to hear the heartbeat. It will help make this more real, although how much more real do I need this to be, morning sickness should make it real enough!

I'm looking forward to sharing this journey with you all. It's great how technology has allowed a way for our family to be a part of our journey, even if you aren't able to be here with us!